ABSTRACT
Food safety has been considered an essential part of human life in the 21st century, which could be the reason for severe loss of life in case of inappropriate management. However, the challenges arise chiefly as a part of resistance offered by pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and viruses that exist with sources of food, i.e., plants and animals. As a part of their life cycle, these microorganisms release specific metabolites and toxins that are responsible for the contamination of the food. Tracing these prime components in identifying foodborne pathogens could be easily done with the help of molecular techniques like LAMP, NASBA, PCR, and DNA microarray. There have been several molecular tools that have been developed contemporarily with the advancement of technology. This chapter discusses the molecular techniques that are currently used in this regard and also discusses the development progress with respect to the materials, methods, and procedures used in these molecular techniques. The chapter also emphasizes on the intrinsic factors and impact of food processing on the stability of nucleic acids, variation between culture and molecular methods and counter-strategies to improve nucleic acid-based detection.
